For those who are interested in becoming WW1 aces, there is one thing you can practice using that will make all the difference, trim! (Elevator Trim.) The Stock Camel is especially sensitive to trim.

For the Camel, adding elevator trim is like adding a larger elevator. If you have already given it all the up or down elevator you have, and you still need to turn tighter, then add some trim to it! Your plane will respond to elevator trim just like it does when you normally give it more up or down elevator. Think of trim as an extension of your joystick. Your joystick can take you just so far, but if you have the speed, trim can take you where you want to go!

It is amazing to see how fast you come up behind your opponent! The down side is, especially when your speed is low, trim can put you in a terrible stall, so only use it when you have enough speed to make it work for you. That's the part that takes practice.

I always check my speed before using trim. After a while you will get to the point where you usually just 'know'. If you do stall with trim, I have found that the quicker you put the nose down and start dialing the trim the other way, the better. Do this quickly, and you will recover quickly.

Once your speed is back up, you can start easing trim back in to regain any advantage you lost in the stall. With practice, the stalls start getting smaller and smaller till you get to the point where you hardly ever stall.

I have been called a cheat many times, been told I am flying a 'mod' because "no Stock Camel can out turn a DR1" etc. But after I explain to them how to use "trim', they usually come back to me later to apologize, and thank me for telling them about trim! :0)

Lots of WW1 pilots use trim, and some times we fly with the agreement that we will not use it. Mostly though, everyone prefers to fly with it since it is a part of a normal aircraft's controls.

Using trim in a ww11 plane is quite different. WW11 planes are not as sensitive to trim as a Camel. Your speed has to be extra high to use it, and it only gives you minimal advantage. Sometimes though, it is just enough! :0)

In a WW2 plane the stall is different than in a Camel. WW2 planes will start to 'rock'. Once this rocking starts it is time to start backing off on the trim till it stops rocking.

At this point you will still have a little trim in to give you a stronger elevator and help you catch up to your opponent. But don't expect miracles, like I said earlier, the advantage in a WW2 plane is only minimal, you still need to keep your speed up.

Most of you probably already know how to use trim. It is somewhat effective in the WW2 planes, and I do use it when I fly WW2. I like using it in the Hawker, it has helped me more than once to get on someone's six, but after your speed drops too far, it can work against you, (Time to start backing off on trim.) Awareness is the key to the effective use of trim.

Trim is accessed on the numbpad #1 & #7. Numbpad #1 is up, and numbpad #7 is down. It is also important for the numblock to be off. If numblock is in the wrong position, then trim will not work.

If you are really interested in using trim to your best advantage, I strongly suggest you configure it to your joystick controls. I have a Sidewinder Force Feedback 2, and it was very simple to configure. Trim is always right there when I need it most! (Configure it in Sidewinder Central, and not in the game.)

Like I say trim is mainly for WW1 planes, but it can also help in WW2 if you use it when your speed is high. I would be delighted to fly WW1 with any one who is interested. If you would like to fly, or try out using trim in a Stock Camel, Just Z-mail me any time you see me on the Zone!

Shoot Ya later!

AH_VonBlaster